Student Profile: Grace Ludmer

Stamps senior Grace Ludmer is making 500 hand-drawn stickers as part of her senior thesis, titled “The Girls I Draw.” From ladies with strawberries for nipples, to intricate collage work, Grace never fails to make these women beautiful inside and out.

Where are you from?

I'm from Golden's Bridge, New York.

Why did you choose Stamps?

I chose to go to Stamps because I wanted to go to an art school within a larger university. I knew that I wanted to inform my creative work with academic studies. I also was drawn to Stamps because I didn't have to choose a concentration. I could explore different studios at my own pace and have the time to discover which direction felt best for me.

And the ever daunting question, what are you doing after graduation?

After graduation I plan to travel! I am going on a month long west-coast-down-to-Texas road trip with my two best friends, during which I'll begin new projects such as posting/documenting 100 of my stickers or selling my work at art fairs along the way. In June, I'll satisfy my international requirement by traveling to San Miguel De Allende in Mexico for one month where I will be studying Spanish language, Mexican folk art and illustrating new work inspired by the city and people.

What inspired this series of work? You mentioned that you grew up with all girls, but are there other factors or social movements that have inspired you? In what ways?

I think people, above all, are my main inspiration for my work because the girls I draw are the girls I know. At the beginning of college, I used to draw these super skinny, beautiful and dreamy kind of women. But they became uninteresting because they simply were un-relatable. They weren’t like my family or my friends. The girls I know are full of quirks. This is what makes them lovable! I draw girls like my friends who take selfies because it’s admirable and strange and totally worth exploring. I draw girls picking their noses because my sisters and I do it and I know everyone else does it too. I like knowing that my drawings will make people laugh. They bring to light the imperfections we all know and, I hope, can all love!

What messages do you want your Girls work to convey?

I hope that my work will convey messages of self-acceptance and body positivity. It is important to note that my intent is not to visualize girlhood for all women, nor to define what femininity should look like. But I hope that my entire audience, not only those who identify as female, will find points of connection and resonance.

How do your drawings let you explore and share these ideas?

I think my process has allowed me to explore this idea of acceptance. I embrace “flaws” in my work and believe that they have helped make my style unique and my work relatable. Accidental marks are actually the basis of one of the series I’m working on called, ”What’s Underneath.” This is a series of illustrations where I explore the marker bleeds that exist beneath drawings in my sketchbook. These marker bleeds that I used to groan over when they ruined a clean white page, have now become moments that I look forward to finding.

What has surprised you in the process of making this work?

1. How much time I had to spend on the computer.
2. How long it can take to finish a darn thing.
3. The number of times I’ve had to draw boobs or butts.

Join us for the IP exhibitions, and look for Grace’s final installation which will include a mural, stickers, and lots and lots of GIRLS!